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Publications of the University of Virginia 
Phelps-Stokes Fellowship Papers 

NUMBER FIVE 



The Negroes of Lynchburg, Virginia 



BY 

BENJAMIN GUY CHILDS 

Phelps-Stokes Fellow, 1920-1921 
Professor of Education, Randolph-Macon College, 1922 



Surber-Arvxdale Company, Inc. 

Charlottesville, Va. 

1923 









J LIBRARY OF LONG- 
RECtiveD 

MAH 7 1924 



I 



DOCUMENTS DIVISION 









EDITORIAL NOTE. 



The Phelps-Stokes Fellowship, for the study of the Negro, 
was founded at the University of Virginia in 1912, through 
a gift from the trustees of the Phelps-Stokes Fund. It is the 
duty of the holder of the Fellowship to stimulate and conduct 
investigation and to encourage and guide a wider general in- 
terest among students concerning the character, condition, and 
possibilities of the Negroes in the Southern States. 

With this object in view the successive incumbents have or- 
ganized classes for study that have been well attended and dili- 
gent. Special investigations have been carried on by each Fel- 
low ; related topics have been assigned for study by individuals 
and groups, and the results presented for class discussion; and 
from time to time men distinguished as thoughtful students of 
Negro life have been invited to lecture at the University. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I. 

Introduction / 

Chapter II. 

I. Historical Sketch of the City of Lynchburg 9 

II. The Development of the Negroes of Lynchburg 13 

III. The Influence of the Negro in the Growth of Lynchburg.. 17 

Chapter III. 
General Characteristics of the Negro Population of Lynchburg 2i 

Chapter IV. 
The Social Status of the Negroes of Lynchburg 29 

Chapter V. 
The Economic Status of the Lynchburg Negroes 39 



CHATTER I. 

1 XTRODUCTIOX. 

The Negro has had a great influence on the development of 
the Southern type of civilization. In some ways he has made 
distinct contributions to the general social and economic well- 
being. In other respects he has been an obstacle to progress. 
It would be well for the white people as a whole to gain a clearer 
understanding of the Negro's racial characteristics and to know 
more concerning the environment in which the Negroes live. 
The white man would then be in a position to offer intelligent 
assistance or correction, as the case demanded. 

Throughout the history of Lynchburg, Negroes have formed 
a large element of its population, and supplied an important per- 
centage of its labor force. At the present time there are over 
1.800 Negroes employed in the manufacturing and mechanical 
industries and about the same number in domestic and personal 
service in Lynchburg. 

Many negroes have been migrating to Northern cities during 
the past few years. This movement will doubtless continue, 
since the restriction of European immigration has increased the 
demand for labor in all industrial centers. In the future, Lynch- 
burg will have trouble in keeping its Negro labor or in replac- 
ing it by white workmen. 

Abundant social opportunities are offered the Negroes in 
Lynchburg. There are twenty-five different Negro fraternal 
orders and fifteen Negro churches within the city limits. In 
proportion to the population, the total membership in these or- 
ganizations is very large. 

The Negroes of Lynchburg enjoy exceptionally good educa- 
tional advantages. Forty-one teachers are engaged in their sec- 
ondary and elementary schools. Due to the comparatively high 
salaries offered, these teachers rank most favorably with those 
of other cities in the State. There is a higher percentage of 
Negro children attending school in Lynchburg than in the av- 
erage Virginia city. 



8 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

The Negroes of Lynchburg have heen gradually accumulat- 
ing property. They now own over $1,180,000 worth of city 
real estate. We might also say that twenty-two per cent of the 
Negro families own their homes. When we consider the 
Negro's present economic status with that which he occupied 
a few years ago. we find abundant evidence of progress. 

Sanitary conditions among the Negroes of the city should, 
in many cases, be improved for the sake of the general health. 
Better streets and sidewalks are also needed in the Negro settle- 
ments. As a social investment with business aspects, the city 
should give these matters careful consideration. 



CHAPTER II. 
I. Historical Sketch of the City of Lyxchrurg. 

a. Early History. 

The city of Lynchburg can justly lay claim to a very unique 
founding as well as a singular development as a city. Its his- 
tory dates well hack into the beginning of the eighteenth cen- 
tury; for it was as early as 1720 that Charles Lynch, an Irish 
emigrant, landed in America, and ten Years later settled "Chest- 
nut Hill," a large estate on the James River, one mile below the 
present site of the city. Lynch had married Sarah Clark, the 
daughter of a wealthy Quaker planter, to whom he had become 
indentured upon his arrival in America, and from the union 
had been born six children, the second of whom was John 
Lynch, the real founder of the city and the man whose name it 
bears. 

About twenty years after the settlement of "Chestnut Hill" 
young John Lynch, who had inherited considerable tracts of land 
from his father, established a ferry across the James River, 
then known as the Fluvanna, at a point near the mouth of 
Blackwater Creek, very near the present business center of the 
city. This act was really the determining factor in the found- 
ing of the town, for whereas prior to this time Xew London, 
several miles north of the present site of Lynchburg, had prom- 
ised to be the chief city of this entire section of the State, there 
immediately sprang up a natural trading and commercial center 
at the point where Lynch's Ferry was established. 

Inspired by the possibilities of the new center as a town, 
John Lynch applied to the General Assembly of Virginia for a 
charter, and it was granted him, October, 1786. It was enacted 
"that forty-five acres of land, the property of John Lynch, 

are hereby vested in John Clarke" (and others) 

"to establish a town by the name of Lynchburg." 

It is, therefore, from this date that Lynchburg accounts its ex- 
istence as an incorporated town. 

It should be noted here that during the Revolutionary War 



10 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

the Tories in this part of Virginia gave the people a great 
amount of trouble through highway robbery, cattle thieving, and 
other crimes. Colonel Charles Lynch, brother of John Lynch, 
and other prominent citizens, organized themselves, captured 
a large number of the marauders, tried them on evidence, punished 
the guilty/ and thus rid this section of the State of its disturbers. 
The court was named in honor of Charles Lynch, who was chosen 
as judge, and was called for years, "Lynch's Court.'* This was 
the real origin of the name "Lynch" law in America. It is 
singular, however, that a lynching has never occurred in the 
city of Lynchburg nor, so far as is known, in Campbell County 
in which it is situated. 

Lynch's Ferry seems to have been an advantageous location 
for a future town. In the first fifteen years of its life it grew 
remarkably. At the beginning of the nineteenth century it had 
500 inhabitants, an established newspaper (The Lynchburg 
Gazette), and an Episcopal church, besides the well-known 
Quaker meeting-house. 1 

During the first half of the nineteenth century Lynchburg 
took its place among the rapidly growing towns of the State. 
In the first twenty- five years the corporate limits were twice en- 
larged, the population had increased to more than 4.000 persons, 
and numerous industries had sprung up. At an early date the 
young city became a market for tobacco, which was being grown 
in large quantities in the entire section of the State known as the 
South-side. In 1830 it was rated as the leading tobacco market 
of the world, shipping annually more than 20,000 tons. Large 
tobacco warehouses had been built, and nearly two score to- 
bacco manufactories had been established, giving employment 
to several thousand people. The city had also become a leading 
market for hogs, about 10,000 head of which were bandied each 
year. 

The town bad not yet begun the exchange of commodities 
with the outside world through any medium save a system ol 
man-propelled boats, which plied up and down the James to 
Richmond, the State capital. This proved for a long time, how- 
ever. i'\ considerable importance, reaching unusual proportions. 



1. The Lynch family and a large number of other settlers were Quakers. 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 11 

About 1,500 hands were employed, consisting chiefly of Negro 
slaves. 

At the half-century mark Lynchburg had assumed the size 
and characteristics of a small city. The census of that year 
showed a population of 8,071. About one-third of the inhab- 
itants were engaged in manufacturing, in which more than three- 
quarter million dollars of capital was invested. The James River 
Canal was now completed and the old batteaus had. been sup- 
planted by the larger and faster "canal boats." The first pub- 
lic school had been established in 1846, and a little later a high 
school was opened. 

The last decade prior to the Civil War was one of great 
material prosperity and advancement for the thriving young 
city. During this period the first railroad was constructed, new 
churches and other public buildings were erected, more factories 
and business houses were established and a general progressive 
attitude characterized the population. Even the financial de- 
pression of 1857 seems not to have affected this city as it did 
others of its size. The close of the decade, however, found the 
city of Lynchburg much concerned with the overwhelming po- 
litical and economic problems of slavery and the approaching 
strife between the sections of the Union that confronted the 
whole country. 

b. Lynchburg During Reconstruction Days. 

Lynchburg was one of the few Virginia cities to escape in- 
vasion by the Federal troops during the war. The four years 
of strife had left its impression upon the city, however. Many 
of its professional and business leaders had fallen in battle, its 
commerce and industry were paralyzed, its Negro labor was 
disorganized and inefficient, and a general state of anxiety and 
despair prevailed. For several years succeeding the Civil War, 
Lvnchburg, in common with other cities of the South, was 
forced to pass through a period of slow and painful readjust- 
ment to new conditions. Virginia was re-admitted to the Un- 
ion on January 24. 1870, and the people of Lynchburg joined 
with the other citizens of the State in a feeling of relief that 
the horrors and hardships of reconstruction had been overcome. 



12 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

c. Lynchburg from 1871 to the Present. 

With the opening of the year 1871 there came life to all of 
the cities and towns of the South, and Lynchburg received its 
share of the impetus. The city limits were again extended. 
Sufficient territory was annexed to give the town a combined 
population of over 12,000. During the Fall of 1870 and the 
Spring of 1871. several free public schools were opened. Sep- 
arate schools were provided for boys and girls. Protestant and 
Catholic, white and colored. There were in all nine schools, 
and from this beginning there has grown what is now con- 
sidered one of the finest public school systems in Virginia. 2 

The final quarter of the nineteenth century proved to be per- 
haps the era of largest growth and greatest prosperity for the 
city of Lynchburg. During this period the population grew 
from twelve to nearly twenty thousand, another railroad was 
built which gave the city an outlet to all sections of the country, 
and many manufacturing enterprises were established. Chief 
among the new manufactories were iron and steel plants. These 
plants were employed in making pipe, nails, farming implements, 
and other steel products. Because of the discontinuance of a 
number of the tobacco factories and the increase in the steel 
plants there came a change in the number and class of the la- 
borers of the city. Many skilled laborers were imported from 
other sections of the country. 

The city has likewise continued to grow during the first two 
decades of the twentieth century. The population, according to 
the Fourteenth Federal Census, is placed at 30.069, of whom 
21.740 are white and 8,329 are colored. 3 As a manufacturing 
center it takes high rank among the cities of the South. Its 
plants turn out annually 125.000 tons of steel pipe, about 150.000 
modern plows, millions of pairs of overalls. 10,000.000 pounds 
of candy. 350,000 cases of shoes, as well as other finished 
products. The city has relinquished its place as the largest to- 



2. The Virginia School Report for 1871 shows six white schools and 
three col hools in Lynchburg. 

3. See Table \ 111 of the Fourteenth United States Census. 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 13 

bacco center, though it retains supremacy in the marketing of 
dark tobacco. 

The combined banking capital is approximately $6,000,000, 
deposits approximate $20,000,000, and the total resources are 
over $30,000,000. Lynchburg has an assessed valuation of 
$22,500,000 in real estate and $24,000,000 in personal property. 
There seems to be a bright future before this thriving metrop- 
olis of Piedmont Virginia. 

II. The Development of the Negroes of Lynchburg. 
a. The Lynchburg Negro as a Slave. 

Very little is known of the early history of the Negroes of 
Lynchburg. From the fact that a large proportion of the orig- 
inal settlers of the city were of the Quaker belief and practice, 
it may be inferred that few of the early Negroes were slaves. 4 

From the meager facts available it is known that when the 
first census of the town was taken, in June, 1816, it was dis- 
covered that over twelve hundred Negroes, about two hundred 
and fifty of them free, were part of the three thousand inhab- 
itants. Thus from the beginning of Lynchburg's life as a town, 
an appreciable proportion of the population has been colored. 
It may be further observed that an unusual proportion of the 
Negroes were free, since in the same year that nearly twenty 
per cent of the Lynchburg Negroes were counted as "free per- 
sons," the percentage for the State at large was only eight. 
Many of the Negroes owed their freedom to the activities of the 
Quakers. 

It is believed that the early Lynchburg Negroes were em- 
ployed largely as household servants or as laborers in the to- 
bacco fields around the town. Very soon, however, they be- 
came useful in another capacity, that of boatmen for the large 
fleets of batteaus plying between Lynchburg and Richmond. 



4. Slave-owning Quakers came to be frowned upon by their fellows. 
From a report of one of the "meetings" of the Friends we quote : "We 
know of none among us who hold slaves. Some are concerned to instruct 
the black children under their care." 



14 I'HELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

Large numbers of them were engaged in this "hardy calling, 
demanding skill, courage and strength." 

e of the very interesting movements connected with the 
early history of Virginia is that known as the "colonization 
movement." Thomas Jefferson had in 1776 proposed to the 
General Assembly that funds be provided for the return of 
freed slaves who desired to go to Africa. Colonization socie- 
ties were formed in many of the Southern and border state-, 
with auxiliary societies in the principal cities and towns. One 
Mich society was formed in Lynchburg in 1825. Regular meet- 
ings were held, a large amount of money raised, and consider- 
able work done towards carrying on this movement. 

For the first fifty years following the founding of Lynchburg 
the Negroes were accustomed to attend religious services in the 
churches of their masters, where separate seats, usually galleries, 
were provided for them. Not a few of them became members 
of the white churches. In 1830, however, the first Xegro church 
was built on Court Street, and the pastor of one of the leading 
white Baptist churches of the town served as minister of the 
new colored congregation. 

The Xegro population increased in numbers quite as rapidly 
as did the white. In 1850 the census showed a total of nearly 
four thousand persons of color, of whom nearly five hundred 
were free. Thus, it may be noted that the Xegro population in 
1850 exceeded the total population of the town only a quarter of 
a i entury before. 

1 hiring the ten years preceding the Civil War. the colored 
population was very materially affected by the influx of a con- 
siderable number of freed Xegroes from other States, chiefly 
Louisiana and Alabama. These and others of the freed Negroes 
i 'i the city made up what has been called the "colored aristoc- 
racy," the influence ^i which may be seen in the life of the 
Negroes even in the present time. At the beginning of the 
Civil War there were nearly five thousand Xegroes in Lynch- 
burg, and more than one out of every six was free. The per- 
centage of colored population which was free was higher than 
that tor the State at large and considerably higher than that for 
any other Virginia city. Much ^i this was due to the "immi- 
gration" of free Xegroes. 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 



15 



b. Negro Freedmen in Lynchburg. 

The Spring ot 1865 found probably about half a million Ne- 
groes in the State of Virginia, distributed among 700,000 whites. 
Census figures of periods near the close of the Civil War show 
that in the southwest counties of the State the proportion of 
Negroes to whites was very small, almost negligible; that among 
the counties of the Piedmont and Southside sections the number 
of Negroes ranged from about half to two-thirds of the total 
population. The counties surrounding the city of Lynchburg 
contained about an equal number of whites and blacks. In 
addition to the large numbers of Negroes in certain sections of 
the State, thousands of them had thronged to the cities and 
towns and there taken up their abode. Lynchburg, like a num- 
ber of others of the cities of Virginia, showed an actual material 
decrease in the white population between I860 and 1870, but 
an increase of several hundred in the Negro population. In 
1865 the Lynchburg Emigration Society was formed, and under 
its influence one hundred and fifty Negroes were induced to go 
to Liberia. This is the only venture of the sort, however, that 
is recorded in the annals of the city. For several years after 
the close of the Civil War. Lynchburg was crowded with home- 
less and penniless Negroes. One of the causes of this unusual 
emigration from the smaller towns and the rural districts is at- 
tributable to the presence of military authority in Lynchburg. 
The Negroes believed that they would be fed and clothed by 
Federal quartermasters, or agents of the Freedmen's Bureau. 
The economic situation was disturbed by the presence of this 
large body of Negroes, the majority of whom could not offer 
the skilled or semi-skilled labor which the city demanded. It 
is quite evident, therefore, that most of the unskilled plantation 
Negroes found themselves entirely out of place in the cities. 
So serious did the matter finally become that it was necessary 
for the military officers to issue orders prohibiting Negroes 
from settling there unless they were absolutely unable to se- 
cure work on the farms. 

Alongside the economic problem created for such cities as 
Lynchburg by the emancipation of the Negro, was the problem 
of his education. Manv of the most thoughtful men in the State 



16 PHELPS-STOKES PEEEOWSHIP TAPERS 

urged the education of the late slaves to as thorough a degree 
they were capable of receiving. They favored the education 
of the Negro as a matter of justice and as a means for the pre- 
vention of his becoming a burden and danger to the State. In 
the summer of 1865 there appeared in Virginia a considerable 
number of teachers from the North, sent on their mission by 
varum- philanthropic and religious societies. They opened 
schools at several points, in buildings usually furnished by the 
Freedmen's Bureau. The citizens of Lynchburg showed a de- 
cided willingness to cooperate with the Bureau and the teach- 
ers in their work of training the Negro youth. After several 
years these Freedmen's Bureau schools were turned over to the 
municipal authorities with the understanding that they should 
continue to receive financial support from the philanthropic so- 
cieties in the North. 

When the public free schools of Lynchburg were opened in 
1871, there were included in the nine school buildings located 
in various parts of the city, three schools for colored children. 
Each of them was under the control of a principal and several 
assistants. One of these buildings remains in use today as the 
Polk Street Colored School. 

c. The New Negro in Lynchburg. 

The Negro in Lynchburg for the last fifty years has devel- 
1. in the main, just about as he has developed in many of the 
-rowing small cities of the South. The census of 1870 showed 
the population of the city to be about evenly divided between 
whites and blacks. For the next two decades, with the enlarge- 
ment of the city's boundaries, the increase in tobacco manufac- 
turing industries, and the general demands for laborers on 
"public work>." the colored population grew much larger, but 
since the discontinuance of these industries on their former 
large scale, the number of the Negroes has actually decreased. 
The abrupt changes in the size <>i tin- Negro population have 
not always been accompanied by changes in its characteristics. 
lor instance, we find that ^i the present adult population of 
Lynchburg, sixty-five per cent were born in Lynchburg or one 
the surrounding counties, while only ten per cent were born 
outside of the State. 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 17 

III. The Influence of the Negro in the Growth 

of Lynchburg. 

The growth of the Negro population of the city of Lynch- 
burg has played a considerable part in the growth of the city 
as a whole. A glance at Appendix I, together with graphs 
"A" and "B." will reveal some facts of unusual interest and 
importance. The period under consideration has been the one 
hundred years from 1820 to 1920. From the tables it will be 
noticed that the total population of the city has grown from 
3,087 in 1820, to 30,070 in 1920, an increase of nearly 900 per 
cent. During the same period the white population has grown 
from 1,775 to 21,040, an increase of about 1,100 per cent, while 
the colored population advanced from 1,312, at the beginning of 
the century, to 8,329, a growth of over 500 per cent. It may be 
observed from graph "A" that for the first seven decades of 
the century the white and colored population show variations of 
about equal size and character. In other words, the social and 
economic changes affecting the one seem to have affected the 
other in the same proportion. The only exception to this general 
tendency appears to be for the period between 1870 and 1880. 

During this period Negroes furnished a larger percentage of 
the total population than did the whites. Since 1890 the Negro 
population has suffered two losses as against one gain. Thus 
while there were 9,802 Negroes in Lynchburg in 1890, there were 
only 8,299 in 1920, a net loss of 1,503. An examination of the 
three lines of variables in graph "A" reveals the fact that the 
changes in the white population more nearly approximate those 
of the city in general, while those in the colored population are 
considerably less constant. This series of facts would tend to 
lend color to the theory that the lower classes of a population 
are much more sensitive to social changes than the rest of the 
group. 

Graph "B" shows the percentage of the whole population 
which has been Negro during the one hundred years under ob- 
servation. It can be seen that this percentage ranges from 53.1 
per cent in 1880, to 27.7 per cent in 1920. For nearly three- 
fourths of the century the Negroes comprised about 50 per 



Graph "A." 



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20 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

cent of the population of the city, and the average for the entire 
one hundred years has been 45.5 per cent. Any group which has 
formed such a high i>r<>i>ortii>n "f the population is worthy of a 
careful study in connection with the social and economic de- 
velopment <>f the city as a whole. 



CHAPTER III. 

General Characteristics of the Negro Population 

of Lynchburg. 

a. Distribution of Colored Population in the City. 

The distribution of the Negroes of Lynchburg throughout 
the several divisions of the city presents a very interesting pic- 
ture. The writer, in his survey, found that the 8,299 persons 
of color are widely scattered throughout the city, and that, 
strictly speaking, there is no "Negro section" as such. 

Table I is presented to show the actual distribution of fam- 
ilies, dwellings and individuals by wards for the entire city: 

TABLE I: SHOWING PERCENTAGES OF NEGRO 
FAMILIES, DWELLINGS AND PERSONS. 





Families 


Dwellings 


Persons 


Ward 


White 


Colored 


White 


Colored 


White 


Colored 




% 


% 


% 


% 


% 


% 


I 


71.5 


28.5 


60 


40 


72 


28 


II 


74.8 


25.2 


69.7 


30.3 


76.9 


23.1 


Ill 


61.6 


38.4 


61 


39 


68.7 


31.3 


City 


69.5 


30.5 


67.7 


32.3 


72.3 


27.7 



Thus, it will be observed that for the city as a whole the per- 
centage of Negro families is 30.5 ; that of Negro dwellings is 
32.3; and that of Negro persons is 27.7. It will be noted fur- 
ther that in none of the three wards of the city does the per- 
centage of Negro families fall below 25 per cent, of Negro 
dwellings below 30 per cent, and of Negro persons below 23 
per cent. It is of interest to note here that the total 
population of the city, both white and colored, numbering 
30,070, is recorded by the census statistics as being found 
in 6,558 families, an average of 4.58 persons per family. The 
survey shows that the 8,299 colored persons were gathered into 
2,002 families, an average of 4.14 persons per family. It was 
found further that the average number of persons per dwelling 



PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

for the entire population was 5.1, while for the Negro popula- 
tion the average was 4.36 persons per dwelling. 

For purposes of convenience in making the survey, tne city 
was divided into twenty sections. These sections are. however, 
of unequal size and shape, their boundaries being determined 
by wholly arbitrary lines which define sections of convenient 
dimensions to the investigator. It was found that in each of 
the twenty sections, save two, there was an appreciable num- 
ber of Xegro homes. 

The wide distribution of the Xegro population is perhaps 
partly due to the toj>ographical conditions in the city. Lynch- 
burg is a city of many hills. In the main, the homes of the 
whites are found on the plateaus and on the higher hillsides. 
while the homes of the Negroes are, in many cases, found in 
the valleys and on the lower stretches of the hills. 

b. An Analysis <>i the Colored Population by Age and 

Sex-Groups. 

A study of how the population of any community arranges 
itself as respects Mich groupings as those of age, sex, etc., is 
always an interesting social phenomenon. Table II presents 
some striking, facts concerning the distribution of the Negroes 
of Lynchburg with reference to age and sex. 

TABLE II: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF COLORED 
POPULATION ACCORDING TO AGE AND SEX. 



Male 

Under 5 J28 

5-U 866 

15-20 336 

21-40 l.J(i4 

41-60 730 

61-80 147 

.<• 80 5 

Unknown 15 



Numbers 






Percentage 




Female 


Total 


Male 


Female 


Tota 


445 


773 


3.9 


5.4 


9.3 


748 


1.614 


10.4 


9.0 


19.4 


581 


"17 


4.0 


7.0 


11.0 




3,097 


14.5 


23.0 


37.5 


764 


1.494 


8.8 


9.3 


l&l 


220 


367 


1.8 


2.6 


4.4 


11 


16 






0.3 


6 


21 









Totals Vol 4.mkS 8299 43.7 56.3 100.0 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 23 

From the foregoing table it will he observed, first, that there 
is a considerable excess of females in the colored population. 
The males number 3.631. or 43.7 per cent of the colored popula- 
tion, while the females number 4,668, or 53.3 per cent of the 
population. It has been observed by several students of the 
Negro that this fact is true of all Negro urban populations, and 
some of these students venture the further assertion that the 
industrial opportunities of Negro women in cities have been 
greater than those of men, through their large employment in 
domestic service. They have concluded that the proportion of 
men to women is a rough index of the industrial opportunities 
of the Negro. The present study, however, shows that in spite 
of an excess of 1,057, or nearly 30 per cent, in the number of 
adult females over that of adult males, there is nevertheless 
an abundance of work for Negro males in a wide variety of 
occupations. (See Table XXX.) 

In addition to the fact that the total number of female Ne- 
groes is greater than the total number of males, there is a con- 
siderable excess of females in every one of the various age- 
groups, except one. This exception occurs in the group of 
children between the age of five to fourteen, inclusive, in which 
the boys outnumber the girls by 118. The most unusual and 
significant cases of excess of females over males occur in the 
group of children under five and in the group of adults between 
twenty-one and forty. In the first of these groups the girls ex- 
ceed the boys in number by 117, which is an excess of nearly 
35 per cent. A fact of still more significance apj>ears in the size 
and distribution of the second group in which there is an excess 
of 689, or ?7 per cent, in the number of women. This abnormal 
difference is partially explained by the fact that the survey was 
made before all the young men of military age had been dis- 
charged from war duty. Another factor of im]X)rtance is that 
a considerable number of Negro men had emigrated to cities 
of the North to seek employment. 

When we come to examine the distribution of the two sexes 
taken together into the various age groups we find still further 
interesting and significant facts. For instance, the group of 
adults between the ages of twenty-one and forty, contains 3,097 



PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

individuals, a number which is 37.5 per cent of the entire col- 
ore. 1 population of the city. This percentage is unusually high 
for a group representing virility, vigor, energy and ambition. 
The group also represents an unusually large opportunity for 
the leaders of the race to establish ideals of sane living and good 
citizenship. If we add to this group those contained in the group 
just preceding, viz., the boys and girls from fifteen to twenty, we 
have over 4,000 individuals, or nearly 50 per cent of the Negroes 
of the city, represented in this impressionable character-fixing pe- 
riod of life. The table shows further that only 4.7 per cent of 
the Negroes have passed beyond the age of sixty, and that only 
22. 8 per cent are more than forty years of age. In other words, 
a comparatively small percentage of the Negroes of Lynchburg 
have reached old age, or even middle life. It should be added 
in this connection that any statistics relative to the ages of 
Negro men and women above seventy are open to doubt, as 
the dates of birth of these individuals are largely a matter of 
conjecture and not of record. 

An interesting comparison as to age distribution is presented 
in Table 111, which shows age analyses of the Negro population 
of Lynchburg, of the white population of the same city, and of 
the total population of the United States. 

TABLE III: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION BY AGE PERIODS 
FOR TOTAL POPULATION OF UNITED STATES 
LYNCHBURG (NATIVE WHITES) AND 
LYNCHBURG (NEGROES) 

United States Lynchburg (White) Lynchburg (Negro) 

Period Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. 

Under 5 10.9 10.3 9.3 

5-14 20.9 20.5 19.4 

15-20 8.9 9.7 11.0 

21-45 $8.4 41.4 39.8 

45 18.1 20.5 

Unknown .1 .1 .1 

Totals 100.0 loo.O 100.0 

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the entire table pre- 
sented above lie> in the small variation in percentages in all 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 25 

groups and in all age periods of life. In none of the age groups 
is there a divergence of more than 3 per cent among the three 
classes of population under comparison. The most noticeable 
difference between the distributions of age groups for native 
whites and Negroes of Lynchburg occurs in the periods of la- 
ter life, and of early manhood and womanhood. There are 2.4 
persons more in each 100 individuals above the age of 45 among 
the colored population than among the whites of the same age 
period; and there are 1.6 persons more per 100 among the early 
adult blacks than the corresponding age periods of the white 
population. The nearness with which the percentages for both 
native whites and Negroes of Lynchburg approaches the figures 
for the United States as a whole, indicates that in this phase of 
its composition, the age-characteristics of the population, Lynch- 
burg is a typical city of the country. 

c. Marital Condition of Negroes in Lynchburg. 

There are 5,907 persons of both sexes above the age of fifteen, 
among the colored population of Lynchburg. Of this number 
2,506 are male and 3,402 are female. Table IV is presented 
for the purpose of showing the distribution of these 5,907 Ne-* 
groes according to their marital condition. 

TABLE IV: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF NEGROES 
ABOVE 15 ACCORDING TO MARITAL CONDITION. 

Number Per Cent. 

Total Single Married Wid. Div. Total Single Married Wid. Div. 

Male 2,506 952 1,453 91 10 100 38 58 4 — 

Female 3,401 1,294 1,462 601 45 100 41 43 16 — 



Both 

Sexes 5,907 2,246 2,915 692 55 39 50 12 



It appears that of the total number of persons usually recog- 
nized as of "marriageable age," there are 2,915, or approximately 
50 per cent, who are married, while there are 2,992 who are 
either single, widowed or divorced. Here again appears a sig- 
nificant distinction between the men and women. While 58 



I-li: rOKES PELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

per cent of the males above fifteen were found to be married. 
only 43 per cent of the women are so classified. In other words, 
7 per cent of the females above fifteen are either single, wid- 
owed it divorced. The number of legally divorced persons 
among Negroes is insignificant. On the other hand, the per- 
manent separations are large in number, and very frequently 
persons claim to be widowed or divorced when there has been 
no separation by death or court decree. Census statistics take 
nizance of this situation by advising that females who have 
never been married, especially mothers with young children de- 
pendent upon them, may return themselves as either married, 
widowed or divorced; married females deserted by their hus- 
bands may return themselves as widowed, and divorced females 
may return themselves as widowed. Taking all of these probable 
discrepancies into account, however, the bare fact remains that 
practically 3,000 of the Negroes of Lynchburg, the majority of 
whom are women and girls, are living singly so far as domestic 
ties are concerned. This condition creates a natural social prob- 
lem of no small consequence in a community of the size and 
characteristics of the city of Lynchburg. 

</. Nativity of Negro Population. 

It ha> been noted that Lynchburg contains a Negro popula- 
tion of no inconsiderable extent, a large portion oi whom are 

TABLE V: DISTRIBUTION OF COLORED ADULT POPU- 
LATION OF LYNCHBURG ACCORDING TO NATIVITY. 

Birth Place 

M 

chburg 698 

t Co 294 

Appomattox Co 98 

Bedford Co 54 

11 * 179 

ylvania Co 82 

in Va 4»7 764 1.261 25 26 25 

< »ther States 199 296 49S 9 10 10 



Number 


Percentage 


F T 


M 


F 


T 


763 1.461 


33 


26 


29 


487 781 


14 


Id 


16 


146 244 


5 


5 


5 


55 109 


2 


2 


2 


294 473 


8 


10 


9 


89 171 


4 


5 


4 



2,101 2,894 4/>95 100 100 100 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 



27 



women and girls, of whom a majority are unmarried. The ques- 
tion which naturally presents itself in a further study of the 
colored population relates to the nativity of this group of indi- 
viduals. It has often been taken for granted that the Negro pop- 
ulation of any city maintains a more or less unsettled status. 
In Table V an analysis is given of the adult Negroes of Lynch- 
burg with reference to their birthplace. 

From this table it may be observed that 1.461 persons, or 29 
per cent of the adult colored population, were born in the city 
of Lynchburg, while 473 others, or an additional 9 per cent, were 
born in Campbell County, in which the city is situated. Again, 
it is to be noted that a total of 3,179, or 65 per cent, were born 
either in Campbell or one of the surrounding counties ; and, fur- 
ther, that 4,500 Negroes of the city were born somewhere in 
the State of Virginia. It thus appears that only 495 adults, or 
less than 10 per cent, were born outside of the State. The prin- 
cipal States represented by these 495 individuals are, in the or- 
der of greatest frequency as states of nativity: North Carolina, 
Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, 'West Virginia, Ohio, and 
Pennsylvania. 

Dubois, in his Study of the Philadelphia Negro, makes the 
comment that "the chief source of error in the returns as to 
birthplace are the answers of those who do not desire to report 
their birthplace as in the South. Naturally there is consider- 
able social distinction between recently arrived Southerners and 

old Philadelphians" The writer also believes that the 

percentage of Lynchburg Negroes claiming this city as their 
birthplace is abnormally high for the same reason. Considerable 
social distinction attaches to the city as a preference to the 
country as one's birthplace. 

One of the most interesting situations revealed through the 
survey has reference to the present location in the city of those 
individuals born in the surrounding rural districts. It was found, 
for instance, that the great majority of the 109 persons born in 
Bedford County have settled in that part of Lynchburg con- 
tiguous to that county ; and this rule holds good for practically 
the entire city. This has likely resulted from the fact that when 
friends of the "pioneer" Negro afterwards followed his exam- 



PHELPS ~ I.OWSHIP PAPERS 

pie and moved to the city they actually sought a location in the 
same neighborhood. Hence, it is not altogether unsafe to con- 
clude that to no small extent the family and social relationships 
1 in the country have heen continued amidst the com- 

plexities of city life. 

Attention should be directed, before leaving this part of the 
study, to the differences again existing between the men and 
the women. Lynchburg contains only 1.405 men born in the 
counties adjacent to Lynchburg, while from the same section 
there are 1.774 women. Xot more than 1,902 Xegro men were 
born in the State, while 2.598 of the women were born there. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Social Status of the Negroes of Lyxchburg. 

Since the chief purpose of this study is to reflect the social 
and economic status of the Lynchhurg Negroes as revealed 
through the survey, an endeavor has heen made to investigate 
the conditions existing among them as concerns their fraternal, 
religious, political, and educational life. It was thought that 
the organizations and institutions dealing definitely with these 
four phases of Negro life would prove determining factors in 
establishing his social status as a member of the community 
in which he lives. Facts gleaned through a study of housing 
conditions will be considered in order. 

a. The Fraternal Life of the Negro. 

There is perhaps no phase of Negro life quite so character- 
istic of the race nor one which has grown so rapidly as that 
which finds concrete expression in the secret societies and fra- 
ternal orders. So swiftly have these organizations developed in 
all Negro communities that it must now be given importance 
alongside the school and the church. By the Negro himself it 
has come to be looked upon as a sort of social "measuring rod." 
The Negro must stand or fall in his social, business, and po- 
litical relationship according to his position or prestige in the 
lodge. 

The function of the secret society is partly to provide social 
intercourse and partly to afford financial protection and benefit 
through insurance. They furnish pastime from the monotony 
of work, a large field for the practice of "lodge politics," a 
chance for parade of badge and uniform, and insurance against 
misfortune. 

It is obviously difficult to secure accurate statistics regarding 
the full extent and scope of the work of secret orders, and any 
estimate as to their economic activity is likely to be inaccurate. 
It may be stated, however, that in Lynchburg there are more 
than twenty-five different Negro fraternal orders. Table VI 



30 



PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 



shows the distribution of the 2,858 men and women who reported 
themselves as members of at least one of the fraternal societies. 



TABLE VI: DISTRIBUTION OF NEGROES ACCORDING TO 
MEMBERSHIP IN SECRET ORDERS. 



Name of Order 

Masons 

Odd Fellows 

Knights of Pythias 

Elks 

Good Samaritans .... 
St. Luke's Order.... 
Court of Calanthe.. 

Daughter Elks 

Others 





Number 




Men 


Women 


Total 


286 





286 


246 





246 


519 





519 


301 





301 


275 


601 


876 


211 


569 


780 





286 


286 





119 


119 


121 


278 


399 



1,889 



1.853 



3.742 



Of this number there are 279 men and 405 women, a total 
of 684 persons, who belong to more than one secret society. De- 
ducting these numbers from the totals in Table VI I we find that 
there are 1.610 men and 1,448 women, or a total of 3,068 indi- 
viduals among the colored population who are members of at 
least one secret fraternal order. In other words, more than 
7? per cent of the men, nearly 50 per cent of the women, or about 
60 per cent of the Negro adults of the city are connected with 
one of the fraternal organizations. 

A more careful study of the foregoing table will show that, 
among the men, the Knights of Pythias predominate. This is 
no doubt due to the fact that the Negro branch of this order 
has many parades and public ceremonies, in which the people 
at large may view their demonstrations. The innate love of 
display in the Negro very likely attracts more than the usual 
number to this order. It may be noted that among those soci- 
eties which admit both men and women the latter appear in far 
greater numbers than do the former. More than 70 per cent 
oi the membership of the two organizations open to both sexes 
is made up of women. 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG. VIRGINIA 



31 



Table VII contains an analysis of the various membership 
lists of the leading fraternal organizations of the colored race, 
but this is by no means a total enumeration of such societies. 
There are a great many other organizations, some of which are 
semi-secret and ostensibly fraternal, but chiefly beneficial. In 
fact, it is not to be doubted that in Lynchburg as in all other 
communities there are organizations which exist solely for the 
purpose of exploiting as many as possible of the Negroes. It 
is very interesting to note the titles of some of these organiza- 
tions. It is not intimated, however, that any of these are not 
thorough/ honest in their dealings with their members. In ad- 
dition to those listed in Table VII, the chief ones are the 
Household of Ruth. True Reformers, Princes of Menelik and 
Princesses of Abyssinia, Shepherds of Bethlehem, Royal Order 
of Joseph, Independent Order of the Lily, and others. 

b. Religious Life of the Negro. 

The Church. 

Not any less important in the Negro's social life than the lodge 
and, in fact, more or less closely connected with it in the per- 
sonnel of leadership and in many other ways, comes the Church. 
The Church has been aptly described as the "central point 
around which all Negro life revolves." Its function has been 
defined as the instrument designed to give expression and sat- 
isfaction to social and religious emotions rather than to direct 
moral conduct. 

The Churches most commonly found among the Negroes in 
the South are the Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, Col- 
ored Methodist Episcopal, though there are usually found a few 
Presbyterian, Episcopal, and sometimes even Catholic congre- 
gations. Politics seems to play a large part in the Negro Church. 
If one group becomes dissatisfied with the administration of the 
Church affairs, it usually withdraws and forms a new congrega- 
tion. In many Southern cities there may be found a dozen or 
more different Churches of a single denomination with an ag- 
gregate membership of not more than would normally be found 
in two or three white Churches. 



32 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

Of the fifty-one Churches situated in the city of Lynchburg 
fifteen of them are for colored congregations. Ten of these 
are Baptist, three are Methodist, one is Presbyterian, and one 
pal. The locations of these Churches have been made 
with little regard to the distribution of the colored population. 
Here again the law of separation holds good, the Court Street 
Baptist Church being considered the "mother" of all of the 
others. Table VII is submitted for the purpose of showing the 
membership and property valuation of the various colored 
Churches of the city. 

TABLE VII: SHOWING MEMBERSHIP AND PROPERTY 
VALUATION OF NEGRO CHURCHES OF LYNCHBURG. 

Name Denomination Membership Valuation 

Court Street Baptist 1.200 $18,000 

I (earington Baptist 

Diamond Hill Baptist 

ith Street :Baptist 

Fifth Street Baptist 

Mount Carmel Baptist 

Mount Moriah Baptist 

Peaceful Baptist 

Ri Vermont Baptist 

White Rock Chapel Baptist 

Chapel of Good Shepherd.... Episcopal 

Jackson Street Methodist 

Marshall Chapel Methodist 

St. Paul's Mission African Melh. Episc 

Central Presbyterian 



250 


2,500 


200 


2,000 


125 


6,000 


75 


1.000 


100 


1,500 


140 


1.000 


111) 


500 


100 


1.200 


75 


750 


20 


600 


200 


6.000 


5n 


500 


40 


500 


70 


1.400 



Totals 2,755 $43,250 



Table VI II shows the distribution of the adult colored popula- 
tion of the city with reference to their Church membership. 

From this table it may be seen that of the entire adult colored 
population of 4,995 persons, 68 per cent of them are Church 
member-. It is also to be noted that there is a higher percent- 
age of Church members among the women than among the 
men, only 58 per cent of the men belonging to a Church as com- 
pared with 7? per cent of the women. As is usually the custom 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 



33 



in communities throughout the South, the number of Baptists 
anion? the colored race far exceeds the number belonging to 
any other denomination. In fact, 60 per cent of the adult pop- 
ulation belong to the Baptist Church, leaving only 8 per cent 
who belong to the other denominations. 

TABLE VIII: DISTRIBUTION OF COLORED ADULT POP- 
ULATION ACCORDING TO CHURCH MEMBERSHIP. 



Denomination Men 

Baptist 1,078 

Methodist 108 

Presbyterian 10 

Episcopalian 12 

Others 28 

None 865 



Numbe 


r 




Percentage 




Women 


Total 


Men 


Women 


Total 


1,889 


2,967 


51. 


67. 


60. 


198 


306 


5. 


6. 


6. 


25 


35 


0.5 


0.7 


0.5 


26 


38 


0.5 


0.7 


0.5 


21 


49 


1.0 


0.6 


1.0 


735 


1,600 


42.0 


25.0 


32.0 



Totals 2,101 2,894 4,995 100. 100. 100. 



One of the most significant features of the religious status 
of the Negroes of Lynchburg was found in the composition of 
the large group recorded as non-church members. There were 
1,600 individuals so reported, 865 of them being men and 735 
women. Of the 865 men who belong to no Church, 578, or 
nearly 70 per cent, are heads of families; while of the 735 
women who are not attached to any Church. 545, or nearly 80 
per cent, are parents. In other words, 1,123 men and women, 
who are parents are not connected with any Church. A further 
analysis of these 1,123 men and women shows the fact that 714 
of them, or over 60 per cent of the number, are between the 
ages of 21 and 40 years. In brief, there is in the city an alarm- 
ingly large number of parents within the most active and usetul 
periods of life who are not identified with any of the religious 
activities of their race. It is believed by the writer that this 
constitutes a problem of no inconsiderable proportions to chal- 
lenge the serious consideration of the religious leaders of the 
race. 



PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

c. The Young Women's Christian Association Branch. 

One of the most interesting and valuable organizations stud- 
io 1 in connection with the moral and religious life of the Xegro 
race in Lynchburg was found to be the Phyllis Wheatley Branch 
of the Young Women's Christian Association. This institution 

•.perated as a part of the general Y. W. C. A. of the city and 
is administered by an advisory committee from the general Y. 
W. C. A. cooperating with an executive committee chosen from the 
Negro women found in the membership of the branch Association. 
It is located on one of the streets of the city where a large num- 
ber of colored families reside and is within a few blocks of the 
center of the Xegro population. The activities are directed by 
a trained secretary who is working very efficiently toward the 
development of the moral and social natures of the young col- 
ored men and women of the community. The institution is 
proving particularly valuable as a social center for the young 
girls who are living away from home. 

d. The Educational Life of the Xegro in Lynchburg. 

The question of the mental and moral training of the Xegro 
has constituted the greatest problem to be solved in all efforts 
to improve the Xegro race. Southern leaders have sought dili- 
gently to know the duty of the South in the matter of educating 
the Xegro, and have likewise sought the means by which de- 
sired results might be obtained. Northern philanthropists, too, 
have endeavored to assist in educating the Xegroes and have 
given liberally to this cause. 

The Negroes of Lynchburg have been peculiarly fortunate in 
this regard, since for the past fifty years leaders of the white 
race, North and South, have cooperated effectively towards the 
solution of this all important problem. Beginning with the 
schools supported by the Freedman's Bureau, which were insti- 
tuted immediately after the close of the Civil War. the educa- 
tional system established for the colored youth has developed 
idily with that designed for the white youth. For a number 
years only white teachers were employed as teachers for the 
colored schools. Now, however, white teachers have practically 



THE NEGROES OF LYNC II l'.URG, VIRGINIA 



35 



disappeared except in the case of the colored high school. It 
needs to be said further that in administration and supervision 
the colored schools of the city are given their share of attention 
and oversight. The administrative and supervisory staff for the 
colored schools is the same as that for the white schools of the 
city. There are 165 teachers engaged in the Lynchburg public 
schools and of this number 132 are white. Five of these teach 
in the colored high school and three others are supervising prin- 
cipals for colored elementary schools. There are, therefore, 
forty-one teachers who are engaged in the secondary and ele- 
mentary schools for the colored children of the city. 

As regards their professional training the thirty-three colored 
teachers are fairly well qualified for their work. One of them 
holds the highest form of teachers' certificate, the collegiate 
professional, five hold the elementary professional, three the 
special certificate. Seventeen hold first grade and four hold 
second grade certificates, while three are teaching on local per- 
mits. Six of the teachers are college graduates, seven have grad- 
uated from normal schools, eight from high schools, and twelve 
have had less than a complete high school education. Among 
the colleges and normal schools represented by the college and 
normal graduates of the teaching staff of the colored schools 
are the Virginia Normal Institute, Hampton Institute, Harts- 
horn Seminary and Virginia Seminary and College. 

Table IX shows the distribution according to years of teach- 
ing experience and length of tenure in present position of the 
colored teachers of Lynchburg. 

TABLE IX: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION BY YEARS OF 

EXPERIENCE AND LENGTH OF TENURE OF THE 

COLORED TEACHERS OF LYNCHBURG. 





Experience 2 

Tenure 5 



An examination of the foregoing table will show that from 
the standpoint of previous experience the colored teachers in 





Years 






1-5 


6-10 


11-20 


Above 20 


11 


6 


10 


4 


10 


7 


8 


3 



36 PHELPS-STOKES EEU.OWSHIP PAPERS 

Lynchburg are well equipped for their work. Only two teach- 
had no experience. Thirty-one of them have had as 
much as one year and fourteen of them, or nearly 50 per cent, have 
had more than ten years experience. When we consider the num- 
berof years which the various teachers have held their present po- 
sitions, we find that the Lynchburg colored schools make a com- 
paratively strong showing. All hut five of the teachers have 
heen in the system for more than a year, eighteen of them for 
mere than five years, and one-third of the numher have heen 
connected with the system for over ten years. According to the 
verdict of experienced and thoroughly trained educators a long 
period of previous experience and of length of tenure in the same 
system speak favorahly for the teaching efficiency of a puhlic 
school teacher. 

The following tahle is hased upon the report which was made 
for the puhlic schools of the State in 1919 by the Virginia Edu- 
cation Commission. It shows a comparison hetween Lynchburg 
and other cities of the State as regards certain instructional ex- 
penditures for the colored children of the city. 

TABLE X: SHOWING CERTAIN FACTS CONCERNING 
COLORED SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA CITIES. 

Length of Number of pupils Average annual 

■ies term in days per teacher salaries of teachers 

Lynchburg 182 53 $579 

Average Cities 180 48 461 

Average State 134 45 — 

From this tahle it appears that Lynchburg compares favorably 
with the other cities of the State and with the State as a whole 
in the three important items listed in the tahle as regards the ed- 
ucational opportunities offered its colored youth. The school 
term is two days longer than that of the average Virginia city 
and forty-eighl days longer than that of the State at lar^e. There 
are only three cities. Alexandria, Norfolk and Winchester, 
which operate schools for the colored children a greater numher 
than does Lynchburg. Lynchburg has slightly more 
pupils per teacher than does the average city, hut this is due to 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 37 

the lack of teaching space. This condition will he materially 
improved through the erection of a new colored high school 
building now in process of construction. In point of annual 
salaries paid its colored teachers the average for Lynchburg is 

higher by $118 than that for the cities of the State as a whole. 

C. Pupils. 

According to the survey conducted by the writer, the results 
of which vary but slightly from those of the last Federal Census, 
there are 3,304 Negroes in Lynchburg below the age of twenty- 
one. Of this number 1,530 are boys and 1,774 are girls. About 
70 per cent of these, including 1,062 boys and 1.305 girls are 
of "school age." Table XI shows the proportion of these 2,367 
children that are being educated in the various schools of the 
city. 

TAELE XI: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS OF 
SCHOOL AGE ACCORDING TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. 



No. in No. in Xo. not 

Public Schools Private Schools in Schools 

Boys 714 13 335 

Girls 852 24 429 

Totals 1,566 37 764 



From the table presented above, it will be seen that 335 boys 
and 429 girls, a total of 764 or 32 per cent of the colored school 
population were not even enrolled in any city school during the 
scholastic year 1920-1921. In Table XII a comparison is made 
with the cities of Virginia and with the State as regards the 
school attendance of Negro children. 

TABLE XII: SHOWING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IN PER- 
CENTAGE OF SCHOOL POPULATION (COLORED). 

Lynchburg Virginia Cities State 

Both Sexes 68 55 54 

Boys 67 49 52 

Girls 69 58 56 



38 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

A Study of this table reveals the tact that there is a higher 
percentage of Negro children, both boys and girls, attending 
school in Lynchburg than in the average Virginia city, and a 
considerably larger number than for the State at large. This 
is the logical result of Lynchburg's constructive policy in the 
encouragement and promotion of Negro education. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Economic Status of the Lynchburg Negroes. 

In this chapter of the study there is presented information 
gathered through the writer's survey as to the economic condi- 
tions prevailing among the Negroes of the city of Lynchburg. 
Throughout the chapter the family is considered as the unit 
of calculation and comparison, instead of the individual as has 
been the case in the preceding chapters. The Negro's economic 
status was studied from a viewpoint of (1) his home and living 
conditions, (2) his health conditions, (3) his home and other 
property ownership and (4) his occupation and family income. 

I. Homes and Living Conditions. 

In the house-to-house canvass of two thousand homes the 
writer also made a study of the general environment in which 
the Negroes of Lynchburg live. The survey deals, therefore, 
not only with the families themselves but with the various 
physical factors that help to determine their social and economic 
status in the community. The chief factors studied were (1) 
streets, (2) yards, (3) houses, (4) rooms, (5) heat, lighting and 
ventilation, (6) water and plumbing and (7) distribution of 
families according to dwellings. 

a. Streets. 

TABLE XIII: NUMBER FAMILIES LIVING ON VARIOUS 
TYPES AND CONDITIONS OF STREETS. 



Living on Streets : 
Living on Sidewalks 



Number of Families 



Paved 


Surfaced 


Dirt 


Good 


Fair 


Bad 


440 


292 


1,204 


5! <7 


399 


1,016 


Paved 


Board 


Dirt 


Good 


Fair 


Bad 


182 


83 


1.569 


577 


787 


538 



A glance at the foregoing table will show that a large per- 
centage of the negro families of Lynchburg live on streets which 
have neither street nor sidewalk paved. A total of 1,204 fam- 



40 ORES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

ilk per cent, live on streets, the material of which is dirt. 

A larger number than this, totalling 1.569 families, or 78 per 
cent of the Negro population, live on dirt sidewalks. The con- 
dition of these streets and sidewalks, however, was found to 
be moderately good. It will be noted in the table that both 
streets and sidewalks are classified as either "Good," "Fair" or 
"Bad." In explanation of this classification it may be stated 
that a street was rated as "Good" if it contained a hard surface, 
was fairly smooth and contained few or no holes. It was rated 
"Had" if it was practically impassable at the time the survey 
was made (November, 1920. to April, 1921). All streets that 
could be called neither "Good" nor "Bad" were called "Fair." 
Practically the same method of rating was followed with regard 
to sidewalks as was done with streets. The survey showed that 
sixty-six families lived entirely away from a street of any kind. 
These houses were located chiefly in the outlying sections of 
the city and in most cases were isolated by streams or ravines. 
It was also found that 268 families lived on streets which con- 
tained no sidewalks of any description. In practically all in- 
stances families living without street accommodations were also 
with* mt sidewalk accommodations. Fifty-eight families were 
found living in the back-yards of other families and forty-nine 
families in houses which face alleys. 

/'. Yards. 

Yards were considered with reference to size and general con- 
dition. The yard is a necessary factor in the play life of the 
children, as well as a matter of esthetic importance. In Table 
XIV is shown the number of families living on lots of varying 
sizi 

Here it will be noted that the greater number of Xegro fam- 

TABLE XIV: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF NEGRO FAM- 
ILIES ACCORDING TO SIZE OF YARDS. 

Per Cent, of Yard Covered by Dwelling 
ilies living where Under25$ 25% to 509! 50% to 759! Over75% 
I.... 418 698 '.14 572 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 



41 



ilies live on lots less than 50 per cent of the space of which is 
covered by houses. Though the city of Lynchburg is rather 
swiftly developing it has not yet reached the point where there 
is a necessity for congestion of buildings in residential sections. 
Only 886 of the two thousand colored families have less yard 
space than floor space in their homes, while only one-fourth of 
them have as little as half as much space for play and outdoor 
life as they have within the four walls of the home. Although 
the writer has had no similar statistics of other cities for com- 
parison he believes that the negro families of Lynchburg have 
been unusually well provided for in the matter of generous 
yards. 

When we turn, however, to the condition of the yards we find 
a situation not quite so wholesome. The yards were graded 
"Good," "Fair" or "Bad" in proportion to the amount of trash, 
refuse, etc.. found upon them and as to the evident care and at- 
tention being given by the occupants of the premises. Table 
XV shows the condition of the Negro yards. 

TABLE XV: CONDITION OF NEGRO YARDS. 



Number of families living where yards are Good Fair Bad 

651 569 804 



Although three-fourths of the Negro families live in houses 
whose yards could be made a valuable adjunct to a wholesome 
living environment by virtue of their size, only a little more than 
one-fourth of the families give any considerable amount of at- 
tention to their yards. It was found also that only 386 families 
of the two thousand kept gardens as a partial source of food 
supply. 

c. Houses. 

Following the yard the next item studied was the house it- 
self. Under this section will be discussed the construction and 
condition of the houses in which the two thousand families live. 
As was to be expected the great majority of the houses were 
of wood. Only ninety families live in houses built of any other 



42 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

material, and the homes of these are either brick or cement. The 
general outward appearance of the houses was noted and classi- 
fied as "Good." "Fair" or "Bad." The survey showed that 
1.729 families live in houses that are had in appearance, while 
181 live in fair houses, and 191 live in houses whose general 
appearance can he called good. 

The interior of each house was studied chiefly with a view 
of determining to what extent the size and arrangement of the 
rooms accommodated the family which occupied it. Tahle XVI 
is presented to show a distribution of the colored families of the 
city on the bases ( 1 ) of the total number of rooms occupied by 
each family, and (2) of the number of bed-rooms used by each 
family. 

TABLE XVI: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF COLORED 

FAMILIES ACCORDING TO NUMBER OF 

ROOMS OCCUPIED. 

One Room Two Rooms Three Four Five and over 

Xo. of families occupying 74 214 868 468 378 

No of families occupying 

as bed-rooms 416 1.450 134 



This tabic shows that the median number of rooms per fam- 
ily for the colored population of Lynchburg is three, and that 
the median number of bed-rooms is two. It was found further 
in a study of the rooms of the houses that in 612 families there 
was an average of one bed to each room, in 386 families the 
average was 1 1/3 beds per room, in 504 families it was 1 1 2 
beds per room, while in 500 families the average was 2 beds per 
room. Prom the foregoing data it will be seen that the Lynch- 
burg Negro on the whole, gives too little attention to the sleep- 
ing arrangements in his home. It was discovered further that 
in 508 families the bed-rooms were used tor living rooms also, 
that in twenty-one cases they were used for dining rooms as 
well as for sleeping purposes, that with 898 families they served 
the double function of bed-room and laundry, and that in only 
39? families were they used for sleeping exclusively. 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 43 

d. Heating, Lighting and Ventilation. 

A study was also made to determine the extent to which the 
Negro householder provided for the comforts and convenien 
of heating, lighting and ventilation for his family. It was quite 
frequently found that the kitchen furnished the sole source of 
heat supply for all of the occupants of the house during the 
winter months. This rule held good in the vast majority of 
cases even where there were hoarders or lodgers. The extent 
to which the houses were heated will he seen by observing Table 
XVII. One thousand, two hundred and sixty-four families, or 
63 per cent of those residing in Lynchburg, live in homes that 
are not more than 50 per cent heated. 

TABLE XVII: NUMBER OF FAMILIES LIVING IN HOUSES 
VARYING PERCENTAGES OF WHICH WERE HEATED. 



Under 25% 25% to 50% 50% to 75% Above 75% 
Number of families 416 848 611 127 



During the survey an investigation was made in each home 
to determine whether the house was kept well lighted in the 
day-time. It was discovered that 1,213 families lived in houses 
that should have been called "dark" during the entire day. while 
only 689 families occupied houses that were well lighted. In 
the matter of artificial lighting the Negro families of the city 
seem to give preference to oil lamps as a method of illumina- 
tion. It was found that 1,416 families use oil. 268 families use 
gas, and 318 families use electricity. 

c. Water Supply and Plumbing. 

The water supply of the Negro families of Lynchburg is ob- 
tained chiefly from the municipal reservoir, springs and wells. 
There are 1,410 families who secure their water from the city 
mains, 401 of them get water from wells in the vicinity of their 
homes and 191 use nearby springs. Of the number who I 
city water by far the greater proportion obtain it from hydrants, 
and in the case of 73 per cent of the families these hydrants are 
located outside of the house. This latter feature constitutes one 



44 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

of the most difficult problems in connection with the water sup- 
ply for the colored population of the city. It is true not only 
of hydrants but of wells and springs that their location outside 
of homes renders them accessible to large numbers of persons, 
and thereby increases the probability of their becoming sources 
of contamination. Table XVIII shows the number of families 
using hydrant.-, wells, and springs. 

TABLE XVIII: NUMBER OF HYDRANTS, WELLS, AND 

SPRINGS USED BY INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES OR 

SHARED WITH OTHER FAMILIES. 



Hydrants 

i by one family 518 

1 by two families 463 

I by three or more families 67 



Wells 


Springs 


196 


2 


168 


79 


79 


110 



This table shows, for instance, that only 518 families have ex- 
clusive- use of hydrants for water supply. 196 families have in- 
dividual use of wells, and in only two cases are there less than 
two families using a spring. It will be seen further that only 
716 families out of the entire two thousand studied use water 
from any source without sharing it with at least one other fam- 
ily. The writer believes this to constitute a grave menace to the 
public health of the Xegro population. It is well known that 
tagious diseases are often-times spread through the medium 
nf the common dipper and common drinking cup. and both of 
these abound at the '"community" wells and springs used by the 
Lynchburg Negroes. 

All of the wells and springs were examined as to condition 
and it was found that 182 families were served by wells that 
could be classed as "good" according to the general condition 
of curbing, bucket, etc., while 219 families were using water 
from wells whose condition would merit the classification of 
"had." In the case of springs the situation proved even worse. 
< Inly two families were found to he using water from a spring 
that shewed evidences of care and attention, while 189 families 
were using water from springs which seemed to the investigator 
to be altogether dangerous to health. In three instances springs 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG. VIRGINIA 45 

were found to be situated so that the water and drainage from 
at least a dozen houses ran directly into the spring. In each of 
these cases human excrement, refuse, etc., were seen in yards 
immediately above the spring. It is believed that the city health 
authorities would do well to have analyses and close inspections 
made of all wells, to prohibit the use of public dippers and drink- 
ing cups, and to have measures enacted by which all the springs 
located within the city should be closed by law. 

The matter of plumbing and toilet facilities for the houses 
occupied by colored families appears to have received more care- 
ful attention than has that of water supply. For instance, the 
writer found only 163 earth closets used by Negro families and 
only twenty of these were in foul condition. The city sanitary 
authorities are rapidly supplanting these earth closets with sew- 
ered closets and it is thought that within a year there will be 
fewer than 5 per cent of the Negro families using earth closets. 
One of the most difficult problems observed was the joint use 
of toilets. In the case of earth closets and water closets also it 
was found that the great majority of families were sharing these 
facilities with at least one other family. There were only 707 
Negro families who had the exclusive use of a toilet. In the case 
of eighty-eight families it was found that the toilet had sewer 
connection, but only through an arrangement by which the closet 
was placed directly over a public sewer. It is believed that this 
arrangement is hazardous to health. In nearly 50 per cent of 
the cases the members of families are required to use toilets 
located outside the house in which they are living. 

/. Distribution of Negro Families. 

The problem of congestion has always been a serious one in 
Negro life. In Negro communities it is no unusual spectacle 
to see a family of eight or ten with perhaps half as many board- 
ers or lodgers occupying one house. The following table is 
presented to show the distribution of the colored population of 
the city of Lynchburg with respect to the number of families that 
were living with other families, and also of the number of oc- 
cupants per house. 

From this table it can be seen that 54 per cent of the Negro 



46 I'HKLPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

TABLE XIX: DISTRIBUTION OF NEGRO FAMILIES. 

Number of families that live alone 1,082 

Number of families that live with one other family 749 

Number of families that live with two or more families 171 

Number of families where there is one dweller 218 

Number of families where there are two dwellers 468 

Number of families where there are three dwellers 306 

Number of families where there are four dwellers 487 

Number of families where there are five or more 523 

families of the city occupy a house to themselves, that 37 per 
cent of them must share the house with at least another family, 
while 8 per cent of the total number live in houses where there 
are two or more other families residing. 

In the case of the number of dwellers living in each house the 
table shows that in 34 per cent of the families there are not more 
than two dwellers per house, that in 78 per cent of the families 
there are more than two, but not more than four dwellers, while 
in 26 per cent of the cases there are more than five dwellers in 
each house. Here it will be noticed that the median number of 
dwellers per house is three, but the mode is five dwellers per 
house. 

II. Health. 
a. Mortality. 

The facts presented in this study relative to the health condi- 
tions of Negroes of Lynchburg were gathered entirely from data 
contained in the annual report of the Bureau of Health in the 
Department of Public Welfare. These data were accepted as 
the best single source of information in view of the fact that all 
records and reports kept by this Bureau seem thoroughly accu- 
rate. In Table XX there is to be found a summary of deaths, 
white and colored, for the calendar year of 1920. 

It should be explained that the above figures include deaths 
among non-residents, an inclusion which could not be avoided 
due to the fact that the analysis of death by various diseases is 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 



47 



TABLE XX: SUMMARY OF DEATHS FOR WHITE AND 
COLORED RACES IN LYNCHBURG FOR YEAR 1920. 

Number of Deaths 

White Colored Total 

Male 135 90 225 

Female 173 95 268 

Total 308 185 493 

Annual death rate per 1,000 population.... 14.2 22.1 16.4 

based on the total number of deaths occurring in the city. There 
is a difference of 1.8 persons per 1,000 among the whites and of 
1.5 among the Negroes as between the figures for residents only 
and for the total population, including the non-residents. The 
Bureau remarks that "this is the lowest number of deaths re- 
corded since the foundation of the Bureau of Health in 1910." 

The ten leading causes of the 493 deaths in Lynchburg as 
analyzed by the Bureau of Health are presented in Table XXI. 

TABLE XXI: TEN LEADING CAUSES OF DEATHS (1920). 



Cause White 

Organic Disease of the Heart 45 

Pneumonia and Broncho-Pneumonia 24 

Tuberculosis of the Lungs 16 

Bright's Disease 15 

Influenza 22 

Congenital Debility 20 

Cancer 1 1 

Diseases of the Arteries 12 

Cerebral Homorrhage 9 

Diarrhoea and Enteritis 5 



Colored 


Total 


34 


75 


17 


41 


17 


33 


16 


31 


8 


30 


4 


24 


5 


16 


4 


16 


6 


15 


10 


15 



It is interesting to note from a study of the above table that 
although the ratio of the white population to the colored pop- 
ulation is slightly more than three to one, there are three of the 
ten leading causes of deaths in which the actual number of deaths 
for the colored is greater than that for the whites. In the case 
of tuberculosis of the lungs, Bright's disease, and Diarrhoea and 



48 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

enteritis there were a greater number of Negroes to die than 
white persons. While the writer does not assume to diagnose 
yet he believes there is not a far distant relation between the 
high number of deaths from tuberculosis among the Negroes 
and the large number of families among the colored population 
who live with little or practically no ventilation in their homes. 

b. Birtlis and Infant Mortality. 

It has been very generally assumed that in the South the Ne- 
groes have larger families than the whites. In order to test this 
assumption we must consider the infant mortality in relation 
to the Negro birth rate. In Table NNII is presented the birth 
rate for whites and Negroes in the city of Lynchburg for the 
ten years, 1911-1920, inclusive. 

TABLE XXII: BIRTH RATE PER 1,000 POPULATION 

(1911-1920). 

Year White 

1920 32.0 

1919 26.7 

1918 24.3 

1917 2?<> 

1916 23.5 

1915 25.9 

1914 25.3 

1913 26.1 

1912 26.9 

1911 22.8 



A calculation of the average birth-rate per year for each of 
the two races shows that the average for the whites for the ten- 
year period is 25.9 per 1,000 population, while the average for 
the Negroes for the eight-year period, the number of years for 
which figures are available, is 27.5 births per 1,000 population. 
Calculating the average for the whites during the last eight years, 
we find it to be 26.2 births per thousand. Thus, there is on the 
average an excess of only 1.4 births j>er 1.000 among the Ne- 
groes. The distribution of the number of deaths among infants 



Colored 


Total 


26.3 


30.4 


24.1 


25.9 


22.8 


23.9 


22.9 


25.0 


28.5 


24.9 


34.6 


28.5 


33.8 


27.9 


27.5 


26.5 


Not Available 


26.6 


Not Available 


23.9 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 49 

as between whites and blacks in Lynchburg cannot be shown 
on account of the lack of definite data. However, the rate of 
infant mortality for the two races combined is shown in Table 
XXIII. 

TABLE XXIII: RATE OF INFANT MORTALITY FOR 

BOTH RACES. 

Deaths of Children under One Year of Age per 1,000 
Year Reported Births 

1920 71.1 

1919 86.0 

1918 109.0 

1917 110.9 

1916 112.8 

1911-1915 (average for 5 years* 143.7 



Here we note a very unusual decrease in the rate of infant 
mortality during this ten-year period. Quoting from the report 
of the Head of the Bureau of Health for the city: "The year 
1920 saw the largest number of births and the smallest number 
of deaths of persons under one year ever reported in Lynch- 
burg, giving an infant mortality of seventy-one against the next 
lowest infant mortality of eighty-six in 1919. The white infant 
death rate was fifty-six. an exceedingly low rate; the colored 
was 118, or over twice as high as the white. This fact indicates 
that for the city to enjoy any further great reduction in infant 
deaths, the colored rate must be cut. Another fact of importance 
disclosed is, that of the sixty-five total infant deaths, thirty-four, 
or over half, occurred during the first month of life." He fur- 
ther notes that "of the sixty-five deaths among infants, twenty- 
eight white children and six colored children died under one 
month." He concludes, "this would go to show the remarkable 
condition that the colored mother has better attention preceding, 
during and following the birth of her child than the white 
mother. After the first month, the death rate of colored chil- 
dren much exceeds that of white children, but during the first 
months the white exceeds the colored." 

This part of the report concludes with the opinion that "to 



50 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

reduce the death rate of infants" a higher sanitary condition 
must be secured for the colored child. 

In another part of the report attention is called to the fact 
that much of the typhus fever in the city in the past few years 
has been due to the presence of open wells and earth closets. 
The writer is strongly of this opinion. Quoting again 
from the Health Report : "The typhoid death rate for 1920 
was the smallest in the history of the city and indicates 
with clearness the steady advancement in local sanitary condi- 
tions." The typhoid death rate in Lynchburg has decreased 
from 111.4 persons per 100,000 population in 1904 to the ex- 
tremely low rate of 3.3 persons per 100,000 population in 1920. 
This steady improvement has kept almost constant pace with the 
elimination of earth closets and open wells in the city. The 
Health Report continues, "only one woman died from typhoid 
during the year of 1920, and the city was in every way responsi- 
ble for her infection, for she drank out of a polluted well situ- 
ated on the lot, and used the old time privy." It is strongly 
urged, in conclusion, that the earth closets should be removed 
as rapidly as possible and every well and spring in the city closed. 

III. Property Ownership. 

One of the most important phases of the economic status of 
any group of people is their ownership of land and other prop- 
erty, including their homes. This is true of the Negro. Fortu- 
nately, fur the purposes of this study, the writer was able to 
secure direct data on Negro property holding from a report of 
the City Commissioner of Revenue. The results appear in Ta- 
ble XXIV. 

TABLE XXIV: PROPERTY OWNERSHIP OF WHITES 
AND NEGROES IN 1920. 

White Colored Total 

Real Estate $19,789,420 $1,180,105 $20,969,525 

ngible Personalty 2,037.137 1S4.410 2.221,547 

Total $21,826,557 $1,364,515 $23,191,072 

Intangible Personalty 18,040,606 9,070 18.049,676 

Total $39,867,163 $1,373,585 $41,240,748 



TIIK NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 



51 



From this table it will be seen that of the entire taxable prop- 
erty of the city, exclusive of bank stock, the Negroes are as- 
sessed for about 3 per cent. It will also be noted that a higher 
percentage of the total is found in the real estate column than 
for any other form of property. Practically 5.6 per cent of the 
real estate assessed in Lynchburg is owned by Negroes. The re- 
port of the Commissioner also shows that for the same year 
there were assessed for capitation taxes 5,504 white persons 
and 1,711 colored persons. 

Home Ownership. 

One of the most hopeful signs of the gradual betterment in 
the economic status of the Negro is his increasing desire to own 
the home in which he lives. In 1900 only 20 per cent of the 
Negro homes, urban and rural, in the United States were owned 
by the occupant; in 1910 the figure had increased to nearly 24 
per cent. Although the returns for the 1920 Federal Census 
are not available, it is believed that there is a further improve- 
ment for the United States as a whole. Table XXV shows the 
extent to which the Negroes of Lynchburg are the owners of 
the houses which they occupy. We find that nominally 22 per 
cent of the Negro families own their homes. Three hundred 
and eight families, or 15 per cent of the entire number of fam- 
ilies, own them encumbered. Seventy-five per cent of the homes 
are rented, while in the case of twenty-six families it was im- 
possible to secure dependable data on account of the efforts of 
the occupant to give indefinite replies to the questionnaire on 
this point. Very little evidences were noted of the activities of 

TABLE XXV: HOME OWNERSHIP AMONG THE NEGRO 
FAMILIES OF LYNCHBURG. 



Number of families owning homes free 308 

Number of families owning homes encumbered 132 

Number of families renting homes 1.536 

Form of ownership unknown 26 

Total 2 .°°2 



52 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

any building and loan associations or any cooperative home own- 
ership associations. The general tendency seems to be to buy 
the home "on terms" meeting the obligation through the medium 
of deferred payments. 

In the survey an effort was also made to get information from 
the head of the family owning the home as to its value. While 
the replies received must be discounted, as some were unreason- 
ably high and others unreasonably low, in the main, the writer 
believes that he has arrived at a fair estimate. Table XX VI 
shows the distribution of the 440 families according to the esti- 
mated value of their homes. 

TABLE XXVI: DISTRIBUTION OF THE NEGRO FAMILIES 
ON THE BASIS OF HOME VALUATION. 



Number of families owning homes of a value less than $500 161 

Number of families owning homes of a value of $500 to $1,000 235 

Number of families owning homes of a greater value than $1,000 44 

Total 440 



The 1,536 families who lived in rented houses have been clas- 
sified according to the amount of rent paid per room. This unit 
of calculation was thought to be the most satisfactory. In fact 
it appeared to be the only feasible basis on which a comparison 
could be made. Table XXVII gives this classification. 

TABLE XXVII: NEGRO FAMILIES CLASSIFIED ACCORD- 
ING TO THEIR MONTHLY ROOM RENTAL. 



Number of families paying under 50c. per room 214 

Number of families paying from 50c. to 75c. per room 878 

Number of families paying 75c. to $1.00 per room 289 

Number of families paying above $1.00 per room 155 

Total 1,536 



We may observe that more than half the families of the col- 
ored population of the city pay for rent fifty to seventy-five 
cents per room monthly. It is also to be noticed that 155 fam- 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 53 

ilies pay on the average more than $1.00 per room per month. 
The writer observed that in most instances these families were 
those who seemed to be of fairly moderate means and who were 
evidently paying this larger rent in order to live among the more 
independent class of Negroes who own their homes. Very little 
evidences were found of extortions in rents from the poorer Ne- 
gro families. 

A calculation has been made from the facts gathered through 
the survey as to the relation between the amount of money paid 
out in rents and the total family income. The distribution of 
the 1.536 rent-paying families is given in Table XXVIII. 

TABLE XXVIII: PROPORTION OF INCOME OF NEGRO 
FAMILIES SPENT FOR RENT. 

Number of families paying under 10% of income in rent 193 

Number of families paying 10% to 15% of income in rent 480 

Number of families paying 15% to 20% of income in rent 242 

Number of families paying 20% to 25% of income in rent 187 

Number of families paying 25% to 30% of income in rent 250 

Number of families paying above 30% of income in rent 184 

Total 1.536 



From a consideration of Table XXVIII together with Ap- 
pendix II it may be noted that the median family among the 
rent-paying group of Lynchburg Negro householders pays an 
average of 16 2/3 per cent of its income each month for rents. 
This appears to be not far from the general tendency among all 
classes of rent-paying families throughout the country. Atten- 
tion may be called to the fact that there are thirty- four families 
who pay 40 per cent of their income as rent and eight families 
who pay 50 per cent of their entire income as rent, while, on the 
other hand, there are 143 families who pay as low as 8 per cent 
and sixty-four families who pay only 6 per cent. 

IV. Tenure of Residence. 

In connection with the study of home ownership among the 
Negroes in Lynchburg and its relation to his economic status 



: 



Years 




1-5 6-15 


Above 15 


638 219 


630 


207 223 


1.386 



54 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

attention was also given to the length of tenure of his residence. 
Among the questions asked during the survey were. How long 
have you lived in this house and How long have you lived in the 
city? The facts elicited are shown in Table XXIX. 

TABLE XXIX: SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF THE TWO 

THOUSAND NEGRO FAMILIES ACCORDING TO 

LENGTH OF RESIDENCE. 



Number Under 1 

In the present house 515 

In the city 186 



These figures bear testimony to the stability of the Negro 
families of the city. It is known that the rent-paying Negro 
family is almost constantly moving from place to place. The 
table shows that nearly 26 per cent of the families have lived 
less than one year in the present house. However, it may also 
be seen that 849 families, or over 42 per cent, have lived more 
than five years in the present house, and that 1.609 families, or 
about 80 per cent, have lived in the city for more than five years. 

V. Occupation and Income. 

No facts have a more direct bearing upon the economic status 
of an individual or group of individuals than those relating to 
occupation and income. In the survey made by the writer an 
attempt was made to secure intelligible data regarding the oc- 
cupations of all adult Negroes in Lynchburg. Tables XXX and 
XXXI are presented to show the results. 

In Table XXX the classification of the colored adult popula- 
tion according to occupations is made to correspond with the 
standard used by the Bureau of the Federal Census. From this 
table it is to be noticed that by far the largest number of Ne- 
groes in Lynchburg are engaged in manufacturing and mechan- 
ical industries and in domestic and personal service. This is due 
to the large number of laborers and helpers in the manufactur- 
ing plants and the large number of laundresses, cooks, maids, 



THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA DO 

TABLE XXX: DISTRIBUTION OF COLORED POPULATION 
ACCORDING TO OCCUPATIONS (STAND. CLASS.). 

(Adult) 



Number 



Occupation (Class) M 

Totals 2,101 

Occupation unknown 85 

All occupations 2,016 

I. Agriculture and Dairy Farming 15 

II. Mining 2 

III. Manufacturing and Mechanical Industry.... 1,122 

IV. Transportation 352 

V. Trade 193 

VI. Public Service 75 

VII. Professional Service 48 

VIII. Domestic and Personal Service 206 

IX. Clerical Services 3 



F 


T 


2,894 


4,995 


322 


407 


2.472 


4,488 





15 





2 


687 


1,809 





352 


97 


290 





75 


80 


128 


1,606 


1,812 


? 


5 



TABLE XXXI: DISTRIBUTION OF OCCUPATIONS 
ACCORDING TO DEGREE OF SKILL. 



Degree of Skill 

Sex Skilled Semi-skilled Unskilled Total 

Male 192 (09) 587 (29) 1,237 (62) 2.016 

Female 140 (05) 335 (13) 2,097 (82) 2,572 

Totals 332 (07) 922 (20) 3,334 (73) 4,588 

(Note: The figures given in parentheses indicate percentages.) 



etc., in the service of householders in the city. The rather large 
number of colored women classed as being in "professional 
service" is due to the fact that there are a goodly number of 
colored teachers among the Negro women. 

One of the chief purposes of the survey was to ascertain the 
relative amount of income in each family studied. Obviously, 
exact and accurate information on this point was practically 
impossible to secure. Evasive answers were given in many in- 
stances through fear or suspicion. On the whole, however, the 
writer believes the data to be fairly trustworthy; hence, the fol- 



56 PHELPS-STOKES FELLOWSHIP PAPERS 

lowing table is presented, showing in tabular form the weekly 
income per capita. 

TABLE XXXII: WEEKLY INCOME PER CAPITA. 

$lto$3 $3 to $5 $5 to $7 $7 to $9 $9 to $11 Above $11 
Number of families 555 412 563 164 122 13 

This table indicates that the average family has an income per 
capita of approximately $5.00 per week. The median family 
falls within the first fifty of the 563 families who average $5.00 
to $7.00 per capita per week. 



APPENDIX I: SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE 

POPULATION OF LYNCHBURG BY DECENNIAL 

PERIODS FROM 1820 TO 1920. 









Colored 




Per Cent 


, PerCent. 


Year 


Total Pop. 


White 


Free 


Slave 


Total 


Xegro 


Free 


L820 


3,087 


1.775 


256 


1.056 


1,312 


42.1 


19.5 8.0 


1830 


4,628 


2,492 


405 


1.751 


2.136 


46.2 


19.0 9.1 


1840 


6.405 


3,381 


469 


2.555 


3,212 


50.0 


14.6 10.0 


1850 


8,071 


4.178 


491 


3,402 


3.969 


49.1 


12.4 10.3 


1860 


6.941 


3,825 


528 


2.588 


3,061 


44.2 


17.2 15.6 


1870 


6,635 


3,426 






3,353 


50.3 




1880 


15,953 


7.482 






8.471 


53.1 




1890 


19,714 


9,912 






9,802 


49.7 




1900 


18,887 


10,633 






S.254 


43.7 




1910 


29,494 


20,028 






".466 


32.1 




1920 


30,070 


21.771 






8.299 


27.7 








THE NEGROES OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 57 

APPENDIX II: TABLE SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF 
PERCENTAGES OF INCOME SPENT FOR RENTS. 

Number of Families Per Cent. 

64 6 

79 8 

26 8.5 

24 9 

109 10 

36 11 

47 12 

106 12.5 

74 13 

108 14 

17 15 

29 16 

170 16 2/3 

26 17 

148 20 

39 22 

154 25 

96 30 

75 33 1/3 

23 35 

44 37.5 

34 40 

8 50 

1,536 



















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